I concur with everyone else that tattoos are indeed great, cool, sexy, fun. I have two, sort of. I have a Zuni bear fetish tattoo on my upper right arm, but with several planets & stars around it, so it's actually one big tattoo with 12 little ones. And I have a blue Buffalo Gal on my inside left ankle. But can we set aside the aforementioned coolness & sexiness of tattoos and talk about the PAIN?!? While I found my Zuni bear fetish tattoo on my upper arm to be painful (it's inked all black, and I had several carving artists...uh, I mean, tattoo artists...work on it at different times), I'd equate the HUGELY painful experience of receiving my Buffalo Gal ankle tat to childbirth (or nearly so, based on the horrible descriptions I've heard of pushing a mini-person through your 'gina). My question is this: why do we do it? Why do we put up with such physical pain just to wear a cool piece of artwork on our skin? What do we get from it? Why do we put up with it? I have my own theories, but I'd be interested to hear those of others. How painful was getting your tat? Where is the most painful area on your body to be tatted? And, above all, why did you do it?

Oh dear i may upset a few ppl here and its not intentional honest lol, i dont mind seeing a man with one or two tattoos, but i dont like to see them all over the body ( anyone watched Prison Break, the guy that has escape route tattoed on his body makes me feel eek ).
Im not partial to see women have them either, i really dislike it, its not so bad if there small and on shoulder etc but there i have to say is enuf.
And yes ive had a tattoo, in my younger wilder days i had one on my arm and regretted it immediately! Luckily when i went in for my nurse training i had the offer of it removed the very next week by a top plastic surgeon, which i took up immediately, so i have a 10cm scar on my arm but its hidden by freckles so it doesnt stand out. Never again.
Nothing worse seeing an old lady with faded tattoos on her, really doesnt look nice or appealing to me.

It's rather like fishing if you've never had a tat done then you've never lived and you've never been a man. It's like a tribal thing, it's in us all to want to have some body art.

It doesn't mean you're rough or (like a man who uses Viagra Eye Drops) it doesn't make you look hard. It just says 'I've lived, this is me'.

Because I normally wear a suit and good clothes I can often find myself not being accepted in some places, especially pubs. But once the jacket is off and the tats are on show - people start to accept that I am normal and that I don't think that i'm better than anyone else, who might not work in an office or who might not have a degree.

Tats can communicate where you have been in life and I have no regrets about having had them done.

Hiya. I love tattoos, I have 3 now. My first is a rose curled around a J on my upper arm. My second is a larger rose with black oriental slashes/ribbons on my ankle and my last is a black panther climbing up my shoulder blade. I would love another, either base of spine or nape, under my hair. Jules xxx

Well I finally bit the bullet and got my tattoo. Lower back -tribal/butterfly/flower - my symbol of renewed beauty and freedom. I must say tho that I have never experienced pain like it!! It turns out that I have a couple of particularly sensitive spots above my coccyx -ouch!! Well the colour took well and apparently I didn't bleed very much (thank goodness for small mercies). I'm happy with it, not sure whether I'd get another one tho.

kimi i understand your point of veiw.People can be pushy and for no other reason but to be noisy.Babe just tell them to back off.Like you said there is a stigma that goes with tattooed people so use it.Personally you are a beautiful woman and i would love to see your artwork both what the tattooist creatted and god himself cheers.

the art work is awesome i love tattoos personally i got one its a tribal heart of course its small but i want more tattoos also i am into celtic art plus i am also into new stuff also i love anything that has to do with skulls and crossbones and hearts and swords and anything that has to do with flames or fire .i guess u can say i love them all so many tattoos i am gonna be getting later and i love them on the men too,i am not picky but i love the artwork,i got one from a friend of my moms he is a pro also it is my first one but not the last one i plan on getting more of them and yes they are addictive lol but who doest love them anyways peace out anyone who wants to talk feel free to leave me a message i will reply back laterz all..

I, personally, have an affinity for tattoos. And I have some very large pieces that can be visible to the public (depending on what I'm wearing). I think that tattoos are extremely expressive and sexy on men and women. But I get so much attention- positive and negative- that I spend a lot of time thinking about how to cover them. PLEASE tell me why people think that it is okay to walk up to me on the street- a complete stranger- and pull my shirt down to see my entire tattoo?! I'm not a prude by any means, but it's just RUDE! On the flipside, they help me bond with cool folks like you, but I think the rule of thumb is look but don't touch unless you're invited ;) ~K